Upper Calf Creek Fall Trail

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

Upper Calf Creek Fall Trail is a hiking trail in Garfield County, Utah. It is within Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It is 0.9 miles long and begins at 6,516 feet altitude. Traveling the entire trail is 1.8 miles with a total elevation gain of 655 feet. The Upper Calf Creek Falls Trailhead parking is near the trailhead. The trail ends near the Upper Calf Creek Fall attraction.

Upper Calf Creek Fall Trail is a hiking trail in Garfield County, Utah. It is within Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It is 0.9 miles long and begins at 6,516 feet altitude. Traveling the entire trail is 1.8 miles with a total elevation gain of 655 feet. The Upper Calf Creek Falls Trailhead parking is near the trailhead. The trail ends near the Upper Calf Creek Fall attraction.

"This trail is usually taken by people who have already hiked to Lower Calf Creek Falls and want to see more of this delightful canyon. The highlight of the trail is Upper Calf Creek Falls, which is only 0.9 mile from the trailhead, and that is as far as most people go before turning around.

If you have time, however, I urge you to walk downstream at least part of the way from the upper falls toward the lower falls before returning to your car. Unlike the trail through the lower half of Calf Creek Canyon there are no Indian granaries or pictographs to see along the way, but the thrill of walking through the lush, seldom-seen upper canyon will provide ample reward."

"Few hikes in the Escalante region offer the rewards of this fine, short trip with such a minimal investment of time and effort. Vast expanses of Navajo sandstone slickrock and far-ranging vistas, plus an 87-foot-high waterfall, pools of cool water, and shady riparian oases, await hikers following this well-worn trail.

Signs at the trailhead proclaim that no camping is permitted there, and that no camping or fires are allowed within 0.5 mile of the upper falls. The trail begins behind these signs and the trailhead register, leading immediately over the rim and to the top of a steep Navajo slickrock slope, littered with round gray volcanic rocks and boulders. The slopes of all the upper Escalante canyons are strewn with these Tertiary rocks, carried in glacial meltwater from their source high on the slopes of Boulder Mountain more than 10,000 years ago."

"Most of the trail is slickrock, steep in places, but not difficult. Cairns mark the way, especially across the slickrock, where no trail is visible. From the ridge at the trailhead, you can see the rock-lined path descending down the slickrock slope to a sandy flat below.

There are several hiker trails along the sandy bench; try to stay on the cairned route to prevent further erosion caused by multiple trails. As you near the falls, the trail splits. The lower left trail goes to the bottom of the falls, the upper to the top. You’ll probably want to try both paths."